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Keystone
The Keystone was one of the major catalysts of the Second Great War. An ancient xel'naga relic, it could channel and redistribute energy, matter, essence and consciousness in a multitude of different ways, giving it myriad uses as the races studied it to various ends.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cutscenes: Spear of Adun (in English). 2015-11-10. Overview The Keystone was designed by the xel'naga in order to store the origin point the primary xel'naga temple of Ulnar, expressed in a unifying language any culture could interpret. It would store Void energy to reawaken the xel'naga when the chosen races, who contained purity of essence and purity of form, arrived at the temple. Essence, matter, information, and consciousness could all be siphoned and redistributed within the Keystone and converted into energy. The Keystone acts as a focal point between the material universe and the Void, converting the energies of one universe into that of the other. The physical shape of the Keystone is a deception, allowing the Keystone to be realigned. The Keystone itself has a decay rate higher than any normal construction material. The Keystone bore construction similarities to the xel'naga temple of Ulnar, which lead Phase-smith Karax to speculate that the two complement one another. The Keystone was not inert even when separated. The individual components could be located by their radiation emissions.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Dig (in English). 2010-07-27. While stored in Hyperion s , Egon Stetmann noticed that as more components were collected and stored together, the more power the containment field required.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Egon Stetmann (in English). 2010. According to Commander Jim Raynor, the battlecruiser's crew claimed to have been experiencing strange visions and unexplained noises, though Doctor Ariel Hanson dismissed them as superstitious nonsense – suggesting that she herself had not had such experiences.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Laboratory (in English). 2010. The Keystone draws energy like a "dry sponge". It reacts that way with devices such as an ihan crystal. It was said by terrans to be able to drain the energy out of a protoss,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Artifact (in English). 2010.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Whispers of Doom (in English). 2010 and kill a protoss just by being in close proximity to it.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Ariel Hanson (in English). 2010.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Supernova (in English). 2010 The Keystone can also generate a powerful "energy nova" that is lethal to zerg. This nova pulses on a subsonic frequency harmless to terrans.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, All In (in English). 2010-07-27. By channeling Void energy into the Keystone, the hybrid were able to create a disruption that overwhelmed the neural pathways of species such as terrans, but that advanced beings such as hybrid and protoss were immune to.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Brothers in Arms. (in English). November 10, 2015 The Keystone was considered a weapon by Doctor Emil Narud, who said its ability to absorb protoss and zerg DNA would be a natural weapon for the xel'naga. He also said its ability to de-infest an infested terran (Sarah Kerrigan) was not the way the designer intended the device to be used.Golden, Christie (November 6, 2012). StarCraft II: Flashpoint. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1451-65962-7. It later was discovered that this was a modification done by Narud himself in an attempt to revive his master, Amon.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Karax (in English). 2015.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations before: Templar's Return (in English). 2015-11-10. Though not its original purpose, the Keystone was modified by Karax in order to house the consciousness of a xel'naga, and was powerful enough to temporarily pull Amon from the Khala. The Keystone is unique in xeno-archeological terms in that by the early 26th century, the first piece (recovered from Mar Sara) appeared to be only a few thousands years old, while most relics are millions of years old. Some of the pieces acquired later in the war (such as on Xil) were sealed inside temples that were millions of years old. This was discovered to be due to the self-repairing nature of the Keystone, and that it actually predated most xel'naga artifacts by billions of years. Karax speculated that it may have been the first object created by the xel'naga upon entering the universe. When combined, the entire device is "slightly longer than a man is tall". History Antiquity The Keystone was created by the xel'naga at the dawn of the universe's creation. Per the Infinite Cycle, it was intended that the chosen races would find and assemble the Keystone, which would guide them to Ulnar, the resting place of the xel'naga.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Legacy of the Void, The Infinite Cycle (in English). 2015-11-10. The Keystone was divided into five components and stored separately in and around the Koprulu sector. By the Second Great War, one was buried on Mar Sara,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Outlaws (in English). 2010-07-27. one was in a Tal'darim-guarded shrine on MonlythBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Smash and Grab (in English). 2010-07-27. with another in a shrine on Typhon XI,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Supernova (in English). 2010-07-27. and another sealed in a xel'naga temple on Xil. The final piece was stored in a vault aboard the abandoned xel'naga worldship stranded in the sigma quadrant.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Maw of the Void (in English). 2010-07-27. Raynor's Raiders Pawn of Power During the Second Great War, the terrans, protoss, and zerg took an interest in the device. Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk of the Terran Dominion covertly sought the device through the Moebius Foundation. He intended to use it to deinfest the Queen of Blades, and strike a decisive victory against the zerg. The prince expected such a feat to end any question of his abilities, and his suitability to succeed his father, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Valerian Mengsk (in English). 2010. The Foundation's research effort was based on Tyrador VIII.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Moebius Factor (in English). 2010-07-27. Kerrigan was also interested in acquiring the Keystone. The Queen of Blades was driven by a greater understanding of the forces at work in the galaxy and the coming of Amon and his hybrid.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: The Prophecy. (in English). 2010. The zerg prepared to launch a massive Sector-wide invasion to search for and recover the device.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. UNN newscast after "Supernova." (in English). 2010. Of all the interested parties, it was the Tal'darim, a protoss sect, who were actually familiar with the locations of most of the components. They viewed the components as holy relics and appointed themselves guardians against all thieves. Emil Narud was aware of the Keystone, and planned to use it to revive Amon. However, he did not inform the Tal'darim of his plans.2012-12-05, Community Lore Discussion BlizzCon 2015. StarCraft Legacy, accessed on 2015-12-28 Stealing from the Dominion '' piece]] An officially sanctioned Dominion expedition completed excavating the Mar Saran component just before the Second Great War after months of digging. The Moebius Foundation hired Raynor's Raiders, through Tychus Findlay, to obtain the components, starting with the Mar Saran piece. This was in contravention to an official Dominion ban on the trade of alien artifacts.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Tychus Findlay (in English). 2010.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after The Outlaws (in English). 2010 The Raiders retrieved the component just ahead of the Swarm's attack on the Dominion dig site at the start of the war. The Raiders escaped aboard the battlecruiser Hyperion.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Zero Hour (in English). 2010-07-27. The component, and those subsequently retrieved, were stored in the .Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Laboratory (in English). 2010. Antagonizing the Tal'darim '' piece.]] The Moebius Foundation directed the Raiders to Monlyth and another component. The Tal'darim were already guarding the approaches. This time the zerg, overseen by Kerrigan, arrived slightly before Raiders. With the protoss' attention divided, the terrans again beat the zerg to the component. '' piece]] A Foundation expedition detected another component inside a xel'naga temple on Xil and moved to excavate it with a Drakken laser drill. They were discovered and wiped out by the Tal'darim. Raynor's Raiders were brought in and they finished the job. The Tal'darim Executor identified the thieves and was most displeased. The Last Components Kerrigan determined the Moebius Foundation as the source of the Raiders' success, and attacked their headquarters on Tyrador VIII. The Foundation's public leader, Doctor Emil Narud, summoned the Raiders to destroy the data cores and deny the zerg access to the Foundation's research data. With this done, the Foundation evacuated. '' piece]] The Foundation quickly set down roots elsewhere and sent the Raiders to Typhon XI. The Tal'darim had not been idle; they established themselves near the component in anticipation of the terrans' arrival. The operation was complicated by the imminent supernova of the local star. The Raiders kept ahead of the planetary firestorm to abscond with the component. Afterward, the Raiders met with Valerian, and learned of his plans for the device.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010. Despite misgivings amongst his crew, Raynor agreed to join Valerian against the Queen of Blades. piece]] The final component was located on the derelict xel'naga worldship in the Sigma Quadrant. Once again, the Tal'darim were waiting; this time they brought in a mothership to defend the vault. The Raiders destroyed the vault holding the artifact. At last, all the components were brought together. The Battle of Char Bringing the device into range of Sarah Kerrigan required the terrans to invade Char. Valerian assembled half the Dominion fleet and placed General Horace Warfield in command. The Raiders joined the battle group.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Dangerous Game. (in English). 2010. Though the terrans suffered heavy casualties, they managed to establish a foothold on the planet and cripple part of the zerg defenses.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Fire and Fury. (in English). 2010. Eventually they brought the Keystone to the base of the main zerg hive; the remaining troops dug in around it against the inevitable onslaught. The Queen of Blades personally led the attack; it was an opportunity to acquire the device after having failed to do so earlier in the war. However, the terran defenses held and the fully charged device eliminated the zerg in the immediate area and at least partially de-infested Kerrigan,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: The Showdown. (in English). 2010. altering her DNA2011-05-31, Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm Hands-On Preview - Zerg Campaign. Gamespot, accessed on 2011-07-08 by extracting the energy that the Overmind had used to transform Kerrigan into the Queen of Blades years earlier. Unbeknownst to the terrans, that energy was not dissipated, but instead stored within the Keystone as part of Narud's plan to resurrect Amon. Sarah Kerrigan meanwhile suspected that the energy released during her transformation was gathered by nearby hybrid.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Hand of Darkness (in English). 2013-03-12. Narud and the Dominion Flashpoint Afterward, Raynor brought Kerrigan with him onto Valerian Mengsk's Bucephalus, and by fleeing Terran Dominion "justice" they became rebels. Dr. Emil Narud eventually joined them there, where he proclaimed the device a weapon and said that its deinfestation of Kerrigan wasn't an intended function for the device. Kerrigan and the device were both brought to Space Station Prometheus, a secret Moebius Foundation space station. However, Narud betrayed the rebels to Dominion Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. Raynor and Kerrigan tried to stop him, but he put the device on a warp-capable transport and escaped with it. Return of the Queen The device was moved to the Korhal Palace by the time Kerrigan transformed back into a human-zerg hybrid on Zerus.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Reborn (in English). 2013-03-12. By the time Kerrigan attacked the palace it had been installed as a security device in Emperor Arcturus Mengsk's office; its remote control was disguised as a lighter. When Kerrigan personally confronted Mengsk, he used it to subdue her. Raynor intervened and destroyed the remote before Mengsk could kill her. Kerrigan subsequently killed the emperor.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Ascension (in English). 2013-03-12. Legacy of the Void Guided by Zeratul's advice,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Zeratul's Vision. (in English). 2015. Hierarch Artanis and his forces went to Korhal to retrieve the device for the war against Amon. They had to fight through the Moebius Corps forces that had stolen it from the Dominion, while also dealing with the devastating mental pulses that the Keystone unleashed when charged with Void energy. Eventually the Moebius Corps and their hybrid allies were destroyed and the Keystone was recovered.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Legacy of the Void, Brothers in Arms (in English). 2015-11-10. Phase-smith Karax studied the artifact, and discovered the location of Ulnar, the temple that housed the xel'naga, inside the Alterian Rift where no life should be. When Amon opened a Void rift within the vision temple, the Keystone reacted by absorbing Void energies at an unrepresented rate. Upon further study, Karax discovered the Keystone redistributes essence, matter, consciousness and energy, and that the artifact had been modified from its original purpose. He theorized the artifact would be able to extract Amon from the Khala, thus save the afflicted protoss from his corruption. On arriving on Slayn, the Keystone again reacted the Void energies on the planet, leading Karax to theorize a connection between terrazine and the Void. Karax utilized terrazine extracted from Slayn in order to test the capacity of the Keystone for Void energy.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after: Steps of the Rite (in English). 2015-11-10. Artanis brought the Keystone to Aiur, where it instantly began to react to the presence of Amon by radiating a red glow. Karax expressed concern that though the artifact had been tampered with by Narud to hold the essence of Kerrigan, he did not know for how long it could hold the essence of a xel'naga. Nevertheless, the Keystone was deployed on the surface of Aiur after the destruction of Amon's host body. ]] Amon sent all of his forces to destroy the Keystone, deploying his zerg, hybrid, and delayed Golden Armada to fight the Daelaam. The combined might of the unified protoss held a defense around the Keystone just long enough for it to gather the energy it needed to pull Amon from the Khala.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Legacy of the Void, Salvation (in English). 2015-11-10. Executor Selendis engaged Artanis just as the artifact activated, and Artanis convinced her and the remaining Khalai to sever their nerve cords before Amon could break free of the Keystone. One by one they cut their nerve chords, giving Amon no place to go. Amon was forced back into the void, destroying the Keystone in the process.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Legacy. (in English). 2015. Game Structure StarCraft II Wings of Liberty |fgcolor= |image=XelNagaArtifact SC2 Game1.JPEG |imgsize=200px |imgdesc=Artifact charging up |image2=XelNagaArtifact SC2 Game2.JPEG |imgsize2=200px |imgdesc2=Artifact post-release |race=Terran |faction= Raynor's Raiders |campname=''Wings of Liberty'' |baseunit= |role= |useguns= |usearmor=Xel'naga plating |energy= |engyregen= |timedlife= |size= |type=*Structure *Psionic |armortype=*Armored |transcapacity= |transsize= |sight= |detect= |broodling= |costmin= |energycost= |costgas= |supply= |campcost= |time= |produced= |parent= |evolvesfrom= |req= |hotkey= |speed= |accel= |lataccel= |decel= |creepbonus= |creepmultiplier= |collision= |shield= |shieldregen= |hp=3000 |hpregen= |armor=2 |gun1name= |gun1strength= |gun1attacks= |gun1ground= |gun1air= |gun1cool= |gun1range= |gun1upgrd= |gun2name= |gun2strength= |gun2attacks= |gun2ground= |gun2air= |gun2cool= |gun2range= |gun2upgrd= |gun3name= |gun3strength= |gun3attacks= |gun3ground= |gun3air= |gun3cool= |gun3range= |gun3upgrd= |addons= |evolvesto= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability= |priority= |killscore= |makescore= |lostscore= |notes= |structure=x |hero= |campaign=x |npc= |cancel= |nocat= |concatbott= |concattop= }} The Keystone is usable in the final mission of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, "All In." It has two charges; one that can be used as a weapon (the energy nova), and the "final blast". It is capable of unleashing an energy nova that eradicates all hostile zerg within its radius. After the nova is used, the device takes three minutes and thirty seconds to recharge. Raynor's Raiders must protect it from zerg attacks while the device charges up energy for the final blast; if it is destroyed, the mission ends in failure. Using the energy nova has no effect on the device's charge level. After it fully recharges, it unleashes a devastating blast, destroying all zerg in the area and ending the mission. Abilities Quotations :Main article: Artifact quotations Legacy of the Void Brothers in Arms |fgcolor= |image=XelNagaArtifact SC2 Game1.JPEG |imgsize=200px |imgdesc= |image2= |imgsize2= |imgdesc2= |race=Terran |faction= Moebius Corps |campname=''Legacy of the Void'' |baseunit= |role= |useguns= |usearmor= |energy= |engyregen= |timedlife= |size= |type=*Structure |armortype=*Armored |transcapacity= |transsize= |sight= |detect= |broodling= |costmin= |energycost= |costgas= |supply= |campcost= |time= |produced= |parent= |evolvesfrom= |req= |hotkey= |speed= |accel= |lataccel= |decel= |creepbonus= |creepmultiplier= |collision= |shield= |shieldregen= |hp=3000 (Normal/Hard) 6000 (Brutal) |hpregen= |armor=2 |gun1name= |gun1strength= |gun1attacks= |gun1ground= |gun1air= |gun1cool= |gun1range= |gun1upgrd= |gun2name= |gun2strength= |gun2attacks= |gun2ground= |gun2air= |gun2cool= |gun2range= |gun2upgrd= |gun3name= |gun3strength= |gun3attacks= |gun3ground= |gun3air= |gun3cool= |gun3range= |gun3upgrd= |addons= |evolvesto= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability= |priority= |killscore= |makescore= |lostscore= |notes= |structure=x |hero= |campaign= |npc=x |cancel= |nocat= |concatbott= |concattop= }} The Keystone (more specifically, the containment field surrounding it) is an enemy structure that needs to be destroyed in the mission "Brothers in Arms." It periodically sends out a pulse that disables all terran units and structures. Salvation |fgcolor= |image=Keystone LotV Aiur Game1.jpg |imgsize=200px |imgdesc= |image2= |imgsize2= |imgdesc2= |race=Protoss |faction= Daelaam |campname=''Legacy of the Void'' |baseunit= |role= |useguns= |usearmor=Xel'naga plating |energy= |engyregen= |timedlife= |size= |type=*Structure *Psionic |armortype=*Armored |transcapacity= |transsize= |sight= |detect= |broodling= |costmin= |energycost= |costgas= |supply= |campcost= |time= |produced= |parent= |evolvesfrom= |req= |hotkey= |speed= |accel= |lataccel= |decel= |creepbonus= |creepmultiplier= |collision= |shield= |shieldregen= |hp=6000 (Normal) 3000 (Hard/Brutal) |hpregen= |armor=2 |gun1name= |gun1strength= |gun1attacks= |gun1ground= |gun1air= |gun1cool= |gun1range= |gun1upgrd= |gun2name= |gun2strength= |gun2attacks= |gun2ground= |gun2air= |gun2cool= |gun2range= |gun2upgrd= |gun3name= |gun3strength= |gun3attacks= |gun3ground= |gun3air= |gun3cool= |gun3range= |gun3upgrd= |addons= |evolvesto= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability= |priority= |killscore= |makescore= |lostscore= |notes= |structure=x |hero= |campaign= |npc=x |cancel= |nocat= |concatbott= |concattop= }} The Keystone is a primary objective in the mission "Salvation." It has to be defended from Amon's forces. Heroes of the Storm A xel'naga relic using the model of the Keystone appears in the Machines of War event for Heroes of the Storm, granting bonus gold for players who kill the SCV carrying it. A portrait of the Keystone is available for players who capture a number of these relics.Blizzard Entertainment. Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard Entertainment) (in English). June 2, 2015 Notes *Data in the Legacy of the Void map editor suggest that it was intended for the Keystone in "Salvation" to have an activated Energy Nova ability as it did in "All In" in Wings of Liberty. In the final product it has no ability.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). November 10, 2015 *Keystones (WoWWiki) can be found in World of Warcraft. References Category:Heroes of the Storm Category:Xel'naga buildings Category:Xel'naga technology